"He’d tell me, 'Coach, I’m just not going to do it,' " said Rod Warner, during a Monday telephone interview with Sporting News. " 'I can’t fair catch.’ I mean, even as the punt was in the air, he’d be yelling at me. I told him if he didn’t fair catch, I’d take him out of the game. So finally, he’d fair catch."

That’s Welker, always looking to make a play, always craving the action. With his eight catches for 131 yards against the Texans on Sunday, Welker has emerged again as a postseason force, a critical go-to guy for Tom Brady heading into Sunday’s Patriots-Ravens AFC championship game.

Welker already has put Sunday behind him, looking forward to another meeting with a Ravens team he knows well.

"It’s going to be a tough, physical football game," Welker said. "They’re a really good team. They really battled in that game against Denver. We’ve got to be ready for it.’’

At age 31, this will be Welker’s most rewarding season should the Patriots win the Super Bowl. Early in the year, his role was diminished. In Week 1, Welker caught just three passes for 14 yards. By Week 2, he had fallen behind receivers Brandon Lloyd and Julian Edelman on the depth chart. The Patriots primarily were using two tight-end sets with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, who work the middle of the field like Welker. He was being kept off the field often, the odd man out. There was even talk that Welker, earning $9.515 million as a franchise-tagged player, might be traded.

Warner sensed Welker’s frustration while attending the Patriots’ season opener against the Titans.

"I saw how it all came about during that game," Warner said. "Early on, Brady hit Wes with a pass across the middle. Wes probably should have caught it and he dropped it. The next three, four, or five series, he was standing on the sidelines. He was steaming.

"What happened early in the season was out of Wes’ control. But Wes is relentless at football, relentless at being the best he can be. His DNA is a football player’s DNA. He’s been a football player since the day he was born. You just can’t keep him off the field."

When Hernandez was injured during Week 2 and missed much of the next six weeks, it opened the door for Welker to work his magic again. He had another monster season—118 catches for 1,354 yards and six touchdowns.

With Gronkowski out for the playoffs, Welker’s presence becomes even more crucial. He will cause matchup problems for the Ravens, the same way he creates matchup problems for everyone. Welker’s feet are so quick, and his chemistry with Brady is so good, that no matter how the Ravens elect to defend Welker, he will be difficult to stop.

E ven when Welker makes catches, the Ravens will try to limit Welker’s runs after catches. The Ravens also will try to limit the damage Welker does on third down, when Brady leans on him to keep drives alive. Third, the Ravens will try to punish Welker.

All of that is easier said than done. After Sunday’s loss to the Patriots, Texans coach Gary Kubiak lamented how many times Brady and Welker hurt them on third down.

"They made some great plays," Kubiak said. "You’ve got to give them credit for what they did. They not only made them tonight, they’ve been making them for many years."

Patriots coach Bill Belichick is more willing to gush publicly about opponents than his own players. But the 43-yard over-the-shoulder grab that Welker made Sunday got Belichick’s attention.

"It was a great catch," Belichick said. "Wes is a tremendous receiver, a great competitor. We felt like at times there was a good matchup with him in the slot."

All the Patriots who lost in last year’s Super Bowl to the Giants are eager to return. But Welker is particularly driven. With just more than four minutes left to play in Super Bowl XLVI and the Patriots leading by three points, Welker split two Giants’ defenders and broke open. Had Welker made the catch, they would have been in Giants' territory and perhaps iced the game. But Brady’s pass bounced off Welker’s hands. The Patriots’ drive stalled, and the Giants went on a game-wininng drive.

Welker had tears in his eyes afterward, surrounded by reporters.

"It’s a play I never drop," Welker told reporters February after the Super Bowl. "Most critical situation, and I let the team down."

Warner said he has never discussed that play with Welker, but his mental toughness has allowed Welker to come back as strong as ever.

"Good things and bad things happen to players during their careers," Warner said. "It’s just one play in an illustrious career. He’s not going to let one play define him. It’s not going to enter into this forward thinking going into this week, next week, whatever happens."

Whatever happens Sunday, Welker should have plenty to do with it. That's the way he wants it. Whether he's franchised again by the Patriots, signs a long-term contract or goes elsewhere after this season remains to be seen. But Welker is right where he wants to be. Back in the AFC championship as a target that Brady trusts and a receiver the Ravens must worry about.